Which of the following characteristics can be determined directly from X-ray diffraction photographs of crystallized DNA?
A) the diameter of the helix
B) the rate of replication
C) the sequence of nucleotides
D) the frequency of A versus T nucleotides

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The diameter of the helix can be determined directly from X-ray diffraction photographs of crystallized DNA by measuring the distance between the cross-hatched spots on the photograph. This distance corresponds to the distance between the helix's phosphate-sugar backbone.

Note: X-ray diffraction photographs cannot provide information on replication rates, nucleotide sequences, or relative frequencies of specific nucleotides.

Which of the Following Characteristics Can Be Determined Directly from X-Ray